The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and a computer program for implementing a simulation using video clips.
Laserdisc video games have been known at least since 1982, with the launch of xe2x80x98Astron Beltxe2x80x99 by Sega and xe2x80x98Dragons Lairxe2x80x99 by Cinematronics. The laser discs stored video clips corresponding to possible events, for example in a graphical adventure. The events were selected according to inputs by the user, such as pressing buttons or manipulating joysticks. In general, these systems used animated video clips, but later versions launched in the early 1990s (e.g. xe2x80x98Mad Dog Macreexe2x80x99 by American Laser Games) used live video clips, sometimes in combination with computer-rendered graphics. However, such games have since fallen out of favour, because the number of video clips which can feasibly be produced and stored is limited, and players therefore quickly tire of them.
Hence, at least for simulation games such as golf, fishing and adventure games, video clips have been almost completely superseded by fully computer-rendered graphics. The only exception is the non-interactive video sequences which often intersperse computer-rendered interactive sessions in a game.
Even on high-end personal computers and consoles which are now available, computer-rendered graphics cannot approach the realism of pre-recorded video sequences. Such realism is particularly desirable in simulation games such as golf or fishing games, which aim to stimulate famous courses or locations. Hence, there is a need to combine the realism of laserdisc games with the interactivity of computer-rendered games.
Furthermore, there is a need to allow complex interaction by the user during a video sequence display stage of the simulation.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,678 discloses a video system for selective retrieval of non-sequentially stored video sequences, to display a version of a video program edited according to a user""s preferences.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,512 described an American football simulation gage which generates graphics and statistics representing game play. Where the game play is similar to a famous real game play, a video clip of that famous play is displayed; this is an example of the non-interactive interspersed video sequences described above.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,069 describes a help function in a laser disc game. During a period in which a user should move a lever to avoid losing the game, an arrow appears on screen to tell the user which way to move the lever.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a simulation on a computer, in which parameter selection options and possible parameter values are displayed, and are selectable by the user. A simulation video clip id displayed and user interactions are received during the display of the simulation video clip. An outcome of the simulation is determined depending on the user interactions and/or the selected parameter values and/or a pseudo-random determination and an outcome video clip corresponding to the outcome is displayed. The outcome may be determined before the end of the simulation video clip and the simulation video clip may be terminated and replaced by the outcome video clip in that case.
Indicia may be displayed during the simulation video clip and the display state of the indicia may vary in response to the user interactions before the outcome is determined. The outcome may be determined at least in part by the display state of the indicia during the simulation.
In an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a first-person perspective video simulation of an activity in which the position of the view point is substantially static: for example, fishing, goalkeeping in a penalty shoot-out in Association football, or batting in baseball. In an embodiment of the invention, there is